Page 79 of A Kingdom of Shadows

I've been idly standing against the outdoor pillars, watching Elves chatter and dance along the garden pavement. Silhouettes of their dresses and masks bounce off the walls from the festival lights strung over our heads. I'd thought about walking through the maze. Getting lost sounded like a grand idea now, even if it means remembering what Darius and I had done.

I don't fit in with the Elves, nor have I back in Emberwell with venators.

Unlike my time in the den.

That only reminds me how I have not received a letter from my brothers after the last one they sent. The thought they could be in harm's way unsettles me.

Letting out a sigh, my eyes travel through the crowd, spotting Arlayna looking uninterested as she converses with a male. To my left, beneath the castle archways, a few of the Terranos sentinel stand. Among them, I see Aeron. His eyes are glued to Arlayna, unbeknownst to her.

"Goldie."

My heart jumps. Any higher, and it'll be out of my throat.

I turn, my eyes hook on Darius's boots, then they trail up to his black jacket threaded with intricate gold designs, framing his broad shoulders and then a silver mask.

"Darius." My voice comes out unusually breathless. "Ready to insult me?" I tip my chin up at him, waiting for his usual perusal before the words' hideous' or 'terrible' can leave his lips.

He doesn't say anything but the energy between us is too much, too daunting yet thrilling.

"I always knew you would run out of insults for me," I say.

He laughs, rubbing his thumb across his brow. "Not quite, Goldie."

"How so?"

"Well, you despise compliments," he says, fitting one hand in his pocket. "In essence, complimenting you is actually an insult in your eyes and—" He edges forward, monumentally ruining me with his rosewood scent mixed with that familiar smell I cannot figure out. "Right now, I'm about to give you the biggest insult of your life." His eyes hook onto how I lick my lips. He's well aware we are in public, and he is also well aware that I still haven't shaken off last night's conversation. "You are devastatingly beautiful, Naralía."

I swallow my nerves, hearing my full name roll off his tongue. "Really?"

He nods, firm and resilient. "But beautiful isn't enough," he adds. "I could list a million words on what you are, and it still just wouldn't be enough. Remarkable, breathtaking, utterly enchanting? Those words are nothing compared to what I believe you to be."

I can't hold it in; I break out into a sheepish grin, my cheeks heating up with his gaze on me.

"And anyone in this palace would be lucky to see that smile. Actually, the entire world would be."

My grin widens until my cheeks hurt, and his confession loops around my heart in a tight hold.

"I don't think they realize how you practically shine."

I look away, suppressing the ache growing in my gut. I try to remember that this is just his thing, what he usually would do to anyone else. So, for that, I stop smiling and tease him instead. "Is that what you also said to Faye?"

Unlike his baffled reactions when I first mentioned the Faye to him, he now remains calm. "Like I have said, Goldie, I never kissed her. Irritatingly enough, I've only had my eyes on a blonde with a bad temper and striking blue eyes for a while now."

I bite my lower lip, shaking my head. He sure knows how to have someone weaken at his command.

As he is about to walk past me, he smirks, and leans into the side of my head. "By the way." His lips ghost the arch of my ear. It has my chest tighten and my skin pebbling with goosebumps. "Happy birthday, Goldie."

I whirl around as he carries on walking. With lips parted and a hand to my chest, I watch him maneuver through guests. When I try to go after him, a delicate grip on my elbow has me turn to face a smiling Edwyrd wearing a half-faced royal blue mask.

"Nara," he says, his silvery hair plaited at the sides. "You look absolutely divine. Care for a dance?"

Divine.

Dance.

Birthday.

Darius.

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